I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the countless supporters and the hundreds of attendees at the Rally to SAVE ORV.

The turnout expressed our community’s voice of opposition and protest to the intended closing of the Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility.

I was able to personally thank many, and some I was unable to get around to on Saturday, so please accept this as our thank you if you were somehow missed. There are several individuals who rightfully must be publicly recognized for standing up and for being outstanding in their support. Not in any order of importance, I would like to acknowledge our guest speakers:

Dr. Terry Johnson, Representative 89th District; Rich Blankenship, Mayor City of Ironton; Katrina Keith, City of Ironton; Les Boggs, Lawrence County Commissioner; Skip Riffe III, Scioto County Commissioner; Tom Riser, Scioto County Commissioner; Randy Basham, Scioto County Democratic Party Chairman; Steve Ruggles and Darrell Thomas, Green Township Trustees; Andrew Derifield, Dan Horner, Carolyn Blair and Kelly Madacsi, employees; Eddie Parks, AFSCME President; Scott Evans, Legislative Aide to Representative Johnson; J.D. Emnett, Principal of Green High School; Rick Mollett, Green High School; Ronnie Rawlins, Pastor.

A big thanks goes out to our local business friends:

Larry Moore, Signs, Inc., Melanie Mullins, The Shirt Stop, Wheelersburg, Ohio

And without articles and coverage by our local newspapers and television stations, the word would not have gotten out as quickly, so thank you to:

Benita Heath and Jessica St. James, The Tribune; Charly Arnolt, multimedia journalist, WSAZ News Channel 3; Frank Lewis, Portsmouth Daily Times.

B.J. Gaspers

Employee

Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility

Columnist’s rhetoric simply doesn’t have ring of truth

When will Jim Crawford ever write the truth in his articles?

He, like so many people, tries to tell us what the polls say about a lot of things. He says the Republicans are against Social Security.

This has been a Democratic ploy for the past 25 years, yet Social Security hasn’t been touched as of yet.

If our present Democratic President and Senate don’t stop the spending, we will not have any programs left as we are quickly going bankrupt as a nation.

What would you rather have, some fiscal discipline or no money at all?

It is the Democrats who are spending us into bankruptcy, not the Republicans.

As for all the polls that he says are for the present administration, just which polls are you talking about?

Our president has been a colossal failure in his policies and hasn’t carried out anything that he said he would.

He has failed to close “GITMO,” get us out of Iraq or Afghanistan and got us into Syria’s war.

Now lets get back to some of Jim’s rhetoric,

First, just when did any government program show a profit?

None have cost what the government said and are way over budget.

As for the family planning, when did this work? Even FDR, when he was in office, had people “work” for the pay they received.

Now, for the environmental protection and NPR, what poll have you studied about these?

No farmer, coal miner, power company, nor anyone who likes to eat, thinks the banning of coal, gas wood burners or anything that “might pollute” wants to see these measures approved.

What do you drive? A horse? Well, that pollutes also. Get a life, your false statements don’t fly anymore.

Homer Campbell

Ironton